Jimmy G's GIVEAWAY!!!

Sometimes I am AMAZED by architects and designers...seriously - SHOCKED by what they can do. What does this have to do with food? One word: Wah-Mee.

I'm not sure how many folks ever went to Wah-Mee Chinese downtown (near the Elm St Hustler) - but it was classic stinky Chinese. You would NEVER go there for the ambiance! I didn't care much for the food either...

But last fall the location re-opened as Jimmy G's and WOW the transformation is amazing! You still walk in at street level and head downstairs. It's all dark and red and very chic. The folks at Jimmy G's provided me a $50 gift card to visit their recently opened location.

These were the beads next to our table. The tables are all in a big open room but you still feel cozy. More about the decor later, let's get to the food!

We started with fresh bread served with soft butter and olive oil. The bread was delicious of course - crusty outside and soft inside.

From the salad menu, we started with the hand pulled mozzarella salad with winter fruits and summer dried tomatoes ($9). This was so light and refreshing. The best part was one bite was a sun-dried tomato and then the next was fresh tomatoes! The other thing I enjoyed was that it's meant to be a portion for one - but when we said we were sharing it - they brought it out in 2 bowls - nice touch.

I was torn between a few items and asked our extremely knowledgeable server for his recommendation and he said to go for the Braised Moroccan Lamb Shank ($25). The "sticks" on top were made from red chili peppers (I think - it was some type of chili pepper). The liquid was a tomato-base and had a very unique flavor. The lamb was cooked beautifully of course. It's a very rich sauce and while I enjoyed it - I'm not sure I would order it again. The sauce has a lot of spices and I enjoyed it - but it's a very unique flavor.

As with a few other restaurants in town - you have to order your sides separately. We went for the Charcoal Grilled Asparagus ($8). Larry is a big fan of asparagus and when he likes a vegetable - we go for it! It was served in a brown butter with hazelnuts. We both enjoyed it and the portion size was plenty for the two of us to share.

Upon the server's recommendation we went with the Potatoes Aligot ($8) - it was described to us as the ultimate cheesy potatoes. It was made with Yukon Gold, Cantal Cheese and Creme Fraiche. While I liked this - I didn't love it. Larry thought it was too cheesy - I just thought it was a little thick and not a lot of flavor. Now granted - I ate them up and then took the leftovers home - but I would like to try their Mac & Cheese next time.

Larry went for the Filet of Ribeye ($19). We know Jimmy is well-known for steaks after working with Jeff Ruby for years - so one of us had to try the steak! It LOOKED like a small portion - but it was about 3 inches thick and so delicious! Cooked to a medium-rare perfection. I was lucky enough to get a couple of bites and was very thankful to my husband for sharing!

Jimmy came out and chatted with us as well - and he's awesome! It was so fun to have him just come out and chat us up about the restaurant, the decor and just life in general. He also mentioned that next time we come in we can just ask for him to make us something - and give him the leeway to just come up with something great - I already told Larry - that's what I want for my birthday!

Jimmy also gave us a dessert of our choice for free and there was even something that was egg-free! It was a Fig Newton Chocolate Slice - that's not the name he had for it - but it's the best my memory can do. It was extremely rich and had little cookie chunks as well as fig nibbles in the chocolate. The nice thing was though - as rich as it was - it wasn't TOO much. We really enjoyed it - thanks Jimmy!

And finally back to the decor - here's the funky bar! How cool is that?!

Why Should You Go? Well if you're looking for a special night on the town - this is definitely a contender! Jimmy made the point of saying he doesn't want to be thought of as "just a steakhouse" and it's not - there are apps, salads, seafood, steaks and much more. While everything wasn't perfection - everything was great and the points that weren't perfection - were more just my taste buds vs. someone else's. I completely enjoyed our night and can't wait to go back!

And now - it's Giveaway Time!!! That's right Jimmy G's has given me a $50 gift card for one of you! Just leave a comment below about what you'd like to try from Jimmy's menu and you'll be entered to win!